A Single Moment
by Noc007
Summary: It's those single moments in life that Sirius cherished, like the touch of a child's hand or the smile of his true love. It is also those kinds of moments that can be taken away forever.
1. Prologue

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_There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion._  
_That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble_  
_Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret,_  
_Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together._

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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_Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age._

- Booth Tarkington

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_Little moments can have a feeling and a texture that is very real._

- Ralph Fiennes

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	2. A Single Moment

**Author's Note: **

_(July 21 2011 - I've re-edited this piece with the wonderful help of Kayla aka BlueFoxofWater1569)_

This story takes place half-an-hour or so before the fateful moment when Sirius finds out the truth about Peter's loyalty. This is, of course, an AU oneshot.

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_**October 31**__**st**_

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It was late at night, by the time he returned home from work; it was a job that asked of him to disappear for a certain amount of time. A time he knew he finally accomplished as he was finally relieved from the position he had been assigned to. This moment, as he stepped into the living quarters, was what he has been longing for since the beginning of the day, when he knew he'd finally be coming home.

A storm brewed by the time he stepped into his home. He read in _The Daily Prophet _that a chance of rain would appear earlier in the day, a fact that has yet to be proven right for a drop from the sky has not made its presence. The coat he had worn throughout the day was unnecessary, but he knew it would be worse if he were to catch a cold for it would have ruined the days he has been given off.

Everything around him was quiet as he stepped through the living quarters, past the dining room and into the hall. Though it disappointed him for not seeing her, he was not surprised by her absence. He did not owl her, did not tell her he was returning home. If he had, he would have seen her in the kitchen or in the dining room, preparing the last touches of the dinner that she loved making; a trait he always admired and loved. He could only assumed, as he neared the last two rooms down the hall, that she was already asleep.

The first room he looked into, he saw her.

She lay on her side, facing the door, towards him. Her blonde hair glowed with the candle flame that stood upon the night table near her; an arm was underneath the pillow that supported her head. Though the room was cool to the skin, she laid without a cover. Her exposed sun-kissed legs lay upon one another, the knees lightly bending towards her body. It has been nearly a week since he has last seen her, but the face she wore of calmness delighted his heart. As much as he wanted to touch her, to kiss and hug her, he did not want to disturb her sleep.

"Sirius?" a soft voice called upon him.

He was about to leave and close the door when the woman on the bed recaptured his attention.

Turning around, he now saw her sitting on the edge of it. Somehow she had woken herself up without him noticing it. "Marissa?"

With a smile that brightened the room, she sprang from her seat and ran up to him. He took her into his arms, enfolding them around her. His head pressed against hers, and he caught the sweet scent of lavender coming from her hair. He held her like that; an innocent embrace, as he took in the warm feeling of her body against his own.

"If I had known you were returning, I would have made something for you," she uttered, her head moving away from his own, a signal that she would be looking up at him. His eyes caught her icy-blue ones, their twinkles returning to where he was accustomed in seeing them. "I know how much you enjoy having dinner waiting for you." She grinned.

It was at that moment that he kissed her, their lips crashing onto one another, before she took reign of the situation. If it were not for the fact that he needed to breathe, he would have gladly given himself away to her. Not saying anything, he pulled her into a hug. He let a couple of seconds pass before he finally said anything. "Words cannot express the feeling I have for you." He started, as he snuggled his head down to hers. "How grateful to have you in my life; how I thank the fates for the minute you had crashed into me back in Hogwarts."

It had taken him seven years in Hogwarts to meet the one person who understood him; the one person who could look beyond the façade he put on for show. Only those closest to him knew what he was going through in his personal life, but the girl that had been trying to escape the rain changed that. He knew of the reputation he had, but he could not help it while in school. However, it was the gir thatl landed them both on the muddy water that changed that. If not for her indifference towards him that piqued his interest about her that day, they would have never gotten together.

Four years later, the two of them shared a life, but not without its obstacles.

"At least we weren't bickering back and forth like Lily and James were before they admitted their feelings." She smiled, as she pulled herself at arm's length. Her face faltered, "I don't mean to ruin this moment, but I have to ask, is everything all right?"

He nodded**.** "Of course, why do you ask?"

She gave him another of her smiles. "It feels as if you're leaving us again."

He chuckled once at this. "I'm not, not for a while at least."

Just then, a whimper was heard across the hall, which instantly caught their attention. Marissa pulled away from his touch as she walked past him and into the one room that Sirius had reserved to check on last. Turning around, he followed her.

Unlike the room they last stood in, this one was of a nursery. The soft lavender color -Marissa's favorite- wall spruced up the room; the white furniture with the occasional stuffed animal added to the whole atmosphere. Sitting in the middle of the room, the center of it all, stood the white crib he bought months before the child was born. Marissa's back faced him; her body was bent over the railing. He barely could hear her speaking, but he caught the one word that he adored,'_Dad'._

Time ceased to exist for him, as he watched the scene in front of him. It was a strange thing, being as he was used to seeing Marissa holding their daughter. With a white onesie and a pair of small booties, Victoria was cradled between her mother's chest and arm. "Good thing you decided on the days, and not the months, or you wouldn't have seen this babe grow."

"I can only be away for two days, and she would have already grown from the last time I've seen her," he replied, as he stepped closer to his family. Marissa smiled at him before sharing it with her daughter; her hand took hold of the small one, which Victoria's fingers quickly grasped onto. He felt for her face, a finger trailing down a chubby cheek on the small being. "She's so beautiful."

"Have you eaten? Here, why don't you hold her while I go make you something to eat?"

Without a hesitation, Sirius took the tenth-month old into his arms. For some reason, whenever he carried her for the first time after being away for sometime, she would often feel foreign in his arms. It is not to say that he never carried a child before, because he had with his own godson, Harry. Unlike Harry, Victoria is his blood and the one he was always around. Carrying her in the crook of his arm was at the same time foreign, but wonderful.

After she had left them on their own, Sirius walked toward the window that overlooked into a garden. It was created months before Victoria was born, but it has been the project Marissa worked on. Before it was done out of a hobby, but now with a child; she wanted to create a beautiful scene outside of her room. Since it was fall, not many flowers were blooming with their colors - except for the occasional white flower that he could not name; he was never interested in gardening, but now that Victoria was here, he always loved standing in front of the window that overlooked it.

He looked down at her form, her own eyes were looking out of the window. It was already dark, but whatever it was that she was seeing therecaught her attention. He took this time to observe her; observe how the small amount of her hair she had was not the same color he had or that of Marissa's. Unlike theirs, hers was sandy with an inexplicable sheen to it. With his free hand, he gently caressed it, which was enough to catch her attention. Her dark eyes held the glimmer that only a child could hold, an innocence not tainted by corruption.

She cooed at him, as he slowly wiggled a finger in front of her. She let out a squeal, as she took it into her own hands. He smiled at the thought of her running around the house in the future, her laughter filling in the emptiness of the home, a home that he longed to have. It saddened him that she would not have the set of grandparents a child deserved; the figures that are supposed to be the ones doting over a child would not be available to her. It is not like his parents or those of Marissa perished, but they might as well have with their high-standard rules they set upon them. He was disowned for not sharing the beliefs of his family, she was forbidden to return home for falling in love with the likes of him. It was their love for one another that they had managed to live through those hard times, and it was Victoria that had grown out of it.

He raised her to the level of his face; her small chubby legs kicked in the air as he did so. Her arms waved across the air, before she curled a small fist into her mouth. He then pulled her toward him, kissing her chubby cheek when she was close enough. He placed her against his chest; as he took in the sweet smelling scent a baby always held. Her back arched; he looked down to see her turning her attention back to the window. He joined her, but unlike her, he was not sure what he was searching for. All he could see was the darkness, and the small flecks of raindrops that were sticking onto the window pane.

"What do you see?" he asked her, as he turned to give Victoria a better view of the window. She only replied with the language a child her age would understand, as she pointed out into the darkness. "It isn't the raindrops, is it?" For some reason, he had a feeling that she was seeing _something _that he could not see. It was a strange sight, but he had seen it happened with Harry before; it was something that only children their age could notice, while adults could not see beyond what their eyes looked upon. "You'll be a good girl for daddy, won't you?" he finally asked and, not expecting an answer, he leaned forward and kissed her temple.

"Sirius!"

Quickly whirling, he sees Marissa standing by the doorway; she was distraught, her eyes no longer holding the cheerfulness she once had. "Someone's at the door, it's urgent for you to attend."

Hurriedly he walked up to her, handing Victoria without asking anything else.

Seconds later, he stood in front of the open door; rain poured behind the man who barely shielded himself from it. "It's the Potters," he first said when Sirius saw him. "I'm afraid something awful has happened to them," he last uttered.

There were no words that could explain what he felt for that which he heard; how it involved the three people he had known, and that it was possible that something unforgivable happened to them. _They couldn't be dead, _was the first thing that went through his mind before a million of possibilities followed, trying to explain to himself what could have really happened.

It was at that moment when he heard Victoria's babble coming from behind, turning around he came to see the two people he loved more than words could explain. When his eyes locked with those of Marissa, he knew what must be done. There was no need for words to be exchanged, but he now needed to go. Taking in a deep breath, he gave her and his child one last look before walking out of his home.

_**Fin**_

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**A/N:**  
For those who might be interested, I already have a sequel which is going through the re-editing process as well. The story is up though empty, but if you'll like you can go right ahead and alert **Inheritance **which you can find under My Stories list.


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